Hear Me Out
by Phocron
Summary: Sunny Smiles doesn't know what to make of the new arrival in Goodsprings. He's a kind, compassionate, friendly, ruthless killer. What's his story? And where do his loyalties lie? First Fic, be nice (or not, doesn't bother me), constructive criticism appreciated
1. Origins

**Hi, First fic, lay off, constructive criticism is ideal, cheers**

**Fallout isn't mine, so much would change if it was, blame Bethesda**

"How's he doing, Doc?"

Doc Mitchell looked up from his drink and gave a weary smile to the young woman stood next to him.

"He's going to live, Sunny, that's the only reason I'm sat here"

Sunny Smiles, hunter, guard, wastelander and young woman, smiled back at the doctor.

_One week later…_

Sunny looked up as the door to the Prospector Saloon creaked open. Cheyenne growled at the tall male who entered looked around in apparent confusion. He looked over at her and Sunny felt her breath catch in her throat.

"Hi, Doc Mitchell told me you could help me survive in the desert?"

For a few moments her mind blanked before Sunny told him to meet her outside the saloon. She caught Trudy's eye as she walked past and blushed at the look on the older woman's face.

Three hours later Sunny strolled back into the Prospector alongside her companion. She'd found out during their conversations between shooting geckos that he was a Courier, his name was Dec, she assumed short for Declan, and that he had been heading towards Vegas with a package when he had been ambushed. Sunny looked around the corner, hearing raised voices arguing. She saw Trudy arguing heatedly with a cruel looking man wearing a suit of body armour over a pale blue suit. She turned to speak to Dec, only to step back as she saw a cold rage carved onto his face. H stepped forwards as the man finished his tirade, finishing with the words

"… Bring my friends and burn this town to the ground!"

As the stranger turned, she saw the letters stencilled onto his armour and her blood ran cold as she realised the man was one of the escaped convicts she had been trading pot-shots with for the last few weeks.

She felt rather than saw Dec step forwards in front of the convict but the harsh cry of pain drew her gaze. The convict staggered back, a knife handle protruding from his shoulder where Dec had stabbed him. Under her horrified gaze, her newest friend calmly drew his pistol and fired several shots into the man's chest, watching him fall against the wall, clutching at his injuries. Dec then took three steps forwards, placed the gun against the dying man's cheek and fired a last, dismissive shot, painting a fan of blood across the wooden planking around the walls.

Dec stood upright, holstered his gun, dragged the knife from the Powder Gangers body, wiped it clean on the dead man's sleeve and sheathed it in his belt before turning around. As his eyes met those of the horrified locals his eyebrows rose.

"What?"


	2. A Touch Of Red

"Scotch, Trudy."

Trudy looked over at the booth where Sunny had slumped down once Dec had dragged the corpse out of the saloon to dispose of. She poured the whisky into a glass and took it over before sitting down opposite the younger woman.

"That was unexpected, wasn't it?"

She regretted the comment as she saw the distraught look on Sunny's face.

"He's so nice! He's polite, kind, funny and….." Sunny sighed and shrugged.

Trudy patted Sunny's shoulder as she moved back to the bar, turning as a thought struck her.

"Where's he gone?"

"He went to talk to Ringo, tell him what happened, see if he could help."

The residents of Goodsprings, the newly mustered militia, looked around at the battleground their town had become. Dead Powder Gangers lay scattered across the ground, several with gruesome injuries obvious. At the centre stood Dec, calmly reloading his weapon, staring around him at the aftermath of the fighting. After Ringo thanked him, he stooped, grabbed a body and began hauling it down the street, away from the town.

It was three weeks since Dec had left the town, heading south towards Primm. Sunny had heard from a wandering prospector that a group of convicts had attacked the town but they'd been wiped out by a traveller. Also, the man said that the number of Powder Gangers in the area had dropped to being almost non-existent. Sunny sighed, sat on the sign at the edge of Goodsprings, staring south, hoping to see him coming back


	3. Epiphanies and Firelight

"Morning Sunny"

She turned, glaring at him.

"Oh, so you're back then? Thanks for telling me so, thanks for warning me that you'd be gone for weeks at a time, thanks for nothing!"

She stormed off, leaving Dec stood speechless. A wheezy chuckle snapped him out of his shock.

"Girl sure likes you, boy"

"You crazy, old man?"

Easy Pete chuckled again and shook his head at the youngster's foolishness.

"Goes crazy like that? Bites yer head off before sayin' hello? Nah, boy, she likes you a lot, just too damn scared to say so"

With his words of wisdom imparted, the former prospector headed off for a drink.

Deciding that trying to kiss a deathclaw would be a better idea than trying to talk to Sunny when she was in this mood, Dec left the town again, headed southwest.

Gasping for breath, Dec ran down the south road. He'd returned to Goodsprings from the east, coming through Sloan from the lights of Vegas. The worried looks as he'd entered the bar immediately put his teeth on edge. When asked if he'd seen Sunny, Dec had struggled to stay calm.

Apparently, the surviving powder gangers had been causing trouble again and sunny had headed out to try and drive them off. Around an hour after she'd left a gut-shot traveller had told the townsfolk about the large group of gangers south east of the town, up in the hills.

Now he stopped, caught his breath and crept over the ridge, heading for the firelight. He tapped a hand against each of his weapons, the machete on his left hip, the pistol slung below it and the rifle, his Ratslayer across his shoulders. Pulling the rifle from its sling, he panned the scope across the campsite below him. Ten gangers sat around, egging on the last who was…..

Dec pulled away from the scope, shaking with rage. The last ganger was violating Sunny. Then his training won. He looked back through the scope and began firing.

Within a minute, all of them were dead. All but one. The last, shot through the knees was squirming, trying to get away from the man who'd shot him who now untied the beaten woman he had been assaulting. He watched the stranger hold the girl tight, tell her everything was fine and help her gather the remains of her armour and gear. He watched them leave. He began to think about maybe surviving until he heard footsteps approaching from the direction the girl and the stranger had taken. The stranger who now reappeared clad in strange armour. Armour like…

The Powder Gangers screams echoed from the hills for hours.


End file.
